Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis cultivar xe2x80x98Charlestonxe2x80x99.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Hibiscus, botanically known as Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Charlestonxe2x80x99.
The new Hibiscus is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Amstelveen, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact freely-branching and freely-flowering Hibiscus cultivars appropriate for container production.
The new Hibiscus originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in Amstelveen, The Netherlands, of a proprietary Hibiscus rosa-sinensis selection, identified as code No. 10.327, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary Hibiscus rosa-sinensis selection, designated as code No. 5.923, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The cultivar Charleston was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Amstelveen, The Netherlands, in 2000.
Asexual reproduction of the new Hibiscus by vegetative terminal cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Amstelveen, The Netherlands, has shown that the unique features of this new Hibiscus are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Charleston has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment and cultural practices such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Charlestonxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Charlestonxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Compact, upright and uniform plant habit that is appropriate for container production.
2. Freely branching habit.
3. Glossy dark green leaves.
4. Freely flowering habit.
5. Red-colored flowers.
6. Good resistance to flower bud abscission.
Compared to plants of the parents, the proprietary Hibiscus selections code No. 10.327 and 5.923, plants of the new Hibiscus are more upright, more freely branching, and more freely flowering.
Plants of the new Hibiscus can be compared to plants of the Hibiscus cultivar xe2x80x98Paramariboxe2x80x99, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Amstelveen, The Netherlands, plants of the new Hibiscus differed from plants of the cultivar Paramaribo in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Hibiscus were more vigorous, shorter, and broader than plants of the cultivar Paramaribo.
2. Plants of the new Hibiscus were more freely flowering than plants of the cultivar Paramaribo.
3. Plants of the new Hibiscus had larger flowers than plants of the cultivar Paramaribo.
4. Flower color of plants of the new Hibiscus was more intense red than flower color of plants of the cultivar Paramaribo.